Pembrokeshire Employers Engagement

Project - PEEP

Residential Care Homes Project 2017

Sam Hancock, Senior EHO, PCC

Paul Kloss, Principle Inspector, HSE

PEEP

• The primary aim has been, “to provide free guidance and fully

funded training on managing health and safety risks to small and

medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Pembrokeshire.”

• PEEP is now in its third year and has also been used as a model

template that has been repeated in other areas across South Wales

– SWEEP & BEEP.

• PEEP is a collaboration of government agencies, professional

bodies and industry.

• To date free training has been provided to over 240 businesses and

PEEP has reached over 4,000 employees including managers and

directors.

PEEP III – Care Sector

• The aim of PEEP III has been to,

“Promote and raise, health and safety standards in the

Care Sector in Pembrokeshire”.

• The care sector has been targeted because:

- There is a higher percentage of retired people in Pembrokeshire than in Wales as a whole

(21.8% of residents over 65) with care assistants and home carers being the second most

prevalent occupation in the County.

- Findings from inspections carried out in South East Wales during 2016 found

significant non –compliance on key health and safety hazards.

- Several significant preventable incidents in care home settings in the last 5 years.

Significant Incidents

Project Preparation & Scope

• All privately managed residential care homes and nursing homes were identified for inspection (NB small homes with less than 5 residents were specifically excluded from inspection initiative).

• 46 homes to be targeted for inspection:- 32 care homes – LA enforced- 14 nursing homes – HSE enforced

• To promote consistency in approach standardised documentation was devised: - Project Proforma- Project Plan

• All care homes received a letter prior to the project visit.

Results/Conclusions• Project focussed on:

- Lifting equipment safety; - Managing the risk of legionella; - Managing the risk of scalding; - Prevention of falls from height; - Management of bed rails.

• Visits are ongoing but to date 65% have been carried out.

• Enforcement was over 80% - which includes anything from a letter (or above) requiring action to be taken to comply with legislation.

• Action plans have been requested to demonstrate compliance and some revisits will be carried out.

Key issues 3 topic areas with greatest level of non-compliance:

Legionella

• No legionella risk assessment or schematic diagram;

• Legionella control measures being inconsistently implemented;

• Staff perceived that monitoring of scald temperatures was adequate to control the risks of

legionella.

Lifts

• Lifting equipment was serviced/tested/inspected but not always thoroughly examined;

• Management of non-disposal slings (LOLER thorough examination, maintenance, records).

Window restrictors

• Confusion as to when they are required and who to get advice from.

Underlying Causes

• An assumption that tasks are being done by others;

• A lack of training & understanding of how & why

things need to be done;

• Lack of competence & management arrangements at a

corporate level which means that errors & omissions are

not being identified or controlled.

Care home owners/managers need to:

• Know the risk;

• Know who deals with it;

• Have mechanisms to ensure controls are delivered and sustained;

• Keep up to date with new technology/product changes;

• Support staff to do a good job – making life easier and creating a

safe working environment in which people want to stay.